Writing a narrative essay, sometimes referred to as a personal essay, gives you the opportunity to share a personal experience with your readers. Although similar, you should not treat a narrative essay as you would treat a story you tell your friends over coffee. Your teacher may allow you to have an informal voice or sound to your paper, but you will need to include certain elements to create an effective narrative essay.

Purpose

As you write your essay, you will not simply retell an event or relay information about a person in your life. A narrative essay has a purpose, so you need to have intent and a reason for telling a particular story. Did the time in your life change you in some way? Did you learn valuable lessons from a person you met in line at the grocery store? Once you know the purpose, you can move forward in the writing process.

Thesis

Whatever your purpose for writing the essay, you will let the reader know in your opening paragraph as you introduce the story. Stating the main idea, also known as a thesis, lets the reader know what to expect as they read. Your thesis may look like this: “The day I met Daniel, my outlook on life changed.” Another example might look like this: “Choosing to have a child opened my eyes to other goals.” As you write your essay, keep your thesis in mind, and this will help keep you on track as you write.

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Story Elements

A narrative essay will have the same elements as a short story or novel. You will have a plot, the series of events that form the story and a climax, a moment near the end of the story where the conflict in your story feels the most tense. Narrative essays should also have characters and a resolution to the conflicts. As well, you may also incorporate dialogue into your essay.

Creative Language

You can use creative language in your narrative essay. For example, you may want to use metaphors and similes to show some of the concepts you bring up in your essay or to say something in a new and interesting way. Instead of saying “Time passed slowly.” You might say, “The day passed in drips of water” or some other interesting manner. Using interesting language may help your reader connect to your story and have a lasting impact.

References

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About the Author

Kate Beck started writing for online publications in 2005. She worked as a certified ophthalmic technician for 10 years before returning to school to earn a Masters of Fine Arts degree in writing. Beck is currently putting the finishing touches on a novel.